Browse Submitted Surnames

Abernathy Scottish
A different form of Abernethy, which originally meant "person from Abernethy", Perth and Kinross ("confluence of the (river) Nethy"). This was one of the surnames of the Scots who settled in northern Ireland during the ‘plantation’ in the 17th century, and it was brought to the U.S. as the name of a Southern plantation owner.

Adrienne Medieval English
The surname dervies from the Latin male given name "(H)adrianus", originally an ethnic name for someone from the seaport of Adria - which gave its name to the Adriatic Sea - who settled in Rome and became known as "the man from Adria" (in Latin, "Adrianus")... [more]

Afghan Afghan
Means "from Afghanistan".

Afghani Persian, Pashto
Derived from the term "افغانی" (Afghan), which means "a person from Afghanistan" in Pashto and Persian languages.

Agincourt Medieval English
Surname Agincourt was first found in Lincolnshire where "Walter de Aincourt, who came from Aincourt, a lordship between Mantes and Magny Normandy, where the remains of the ancient family castle still exists... [more]

Akino Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness" or 乃 (no) meaning "from".

Akkawi Arabic
Means "from Akka" in Arabic.

Alfes Jewish
Official website of the the City of Alfés (in the Province Lleida, Catalonia, Spain) says:... [more]

Alford English, Scottish
Habitation name found in Lincolnshire, Surrey and Somerset, England and Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The name can be derived by combining the Old English female personal name Ealdg- and -ford meaning "water crossing" or can mean "from the alder tree ford".

Al-kindi Arabic
"From the Kinda tribe".

Alloway English
Means (i) "person from Alloway, Alloa or Alva", the name of various places in Scotland ("rocky plain"); or (ii) from the medieval male personal name Ailwi (from Old English Æthelwīg, literally "noble battle").

Altmäe Estonian
Altmäe is an Estonian surname meaning "from below hill".

Altnurme Estonian
Altnurme is an Estonian surname meaning "(from) below pasture/meadow".

Alto Estonian
Alto is an Estonian surname meaning "from below".

Alttoa Estonian
Alttoa is an Estonian surname meaning "from below, indoors".

Alzalg Arabic
Means "the sharp sword that can slid smoothly from its sheath" in Arabic.

Ambrìz Spanish
" Probably a variant of Asturian-Leonese Ambres, a habitational name from a village in Asturies. Also a habitational name of Ámbriz a city in Angola, Africa, mainly of Portuguese descendants. "

Andaluz Spanish
Means "from Andalusia" or "from Spain", derived from the region of Spain called Andalucía, once called Al-Ándalus (a classical Arab name for the Iberian Peninsula)... [more]

Anstey English
Means "person from Anstey or Ansty", the name of numerous places in England (either "single track" or "steep track"). F. Anstey was the pen-name of British barrister and author Thomas Anstey Guthrie (1856-1934).

Arak Estonian
Arak is an Estonian surname meaning "arrak (an alcoholic liquor typically distilled from the sap of the coconut palm or from rice)".

Ashmore English
English locational name, from either "Aisemare", (from Old English pre 7th Century "aesc" meaning ash plus "mere" a lake; hence "lake where ash-trees grow), or from any of several minor places composed of the Old English elements "aesc" ash plus "mor" a marsh or fen.

Attard Maltese
One possible origin of the name is that it refers to a place called "Atti" in Bologna, Italy. Therefore the name and it's variations would mean "a person from Atti".... [more]

Auricchio Italian
"A nickname from a dialect variant of orecchio ‘ear’ (from Latin auricula)."

Ax Dutch
originally French, used to be de Ax, meaning "from Ax", several possible places called Ax or Aix or variants.

Baboli Mazanderani
Means “from Babol”.

Baldock English (Rare)
Means "person from Baldock", Hertfordshire ("Baghdad": in the Middle Ages the lords of the manor were the Knights Templar, whose headquarters were in Jerusalem, and they named the town Baldac, the Old French name for Baghdad).

Balīhû Babylonian
Means "man from Balīh" (a tributary of the Euphrates river).

Ballut French
Derived from Old Occitan baluter, cognate of French bluter (via Middle French beluter), meaning "to sift, to sieve, especially the flour from the bran", this name used to denote a miller.

Banwell English
Means "person from Banwell", Somerset ("killer spring (perhaps alluding to a contaminated water source)").

Bardell English
Originally meant "person from Bardwell", Suffolk ("Bearda's spring"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mrs Bardell, Mr Pickwick's widowed landlady in Charles Dickens's 'Pickwick Papers' (1837), who misconstrues an innocent remark about having a companion as a marriage proposal, which leads to her suing Pickwick for breach of promise.

Barnaby English
Either (i) means "person from Barnaby", Yorkshire ("Beornwald's settlement"); or (ii) from the medieval male personal name Barnaby, the English form of Barnabas, a biblical name ultimately from Aramaic Barnabia "son of Nabia".

Baumkötter German (Modern)
From the German words 'Baum' meaning 'tree' and 'Kötter' a type of villager who dwelt in a cottage, similar to the Scottish Cotter. "Presumably a 'Baumkötter' earned money from a small orchard on their property."

Beckemeyer German
Beckemeyer is a surname of German origin. The name likely traces back to a place named Beckum, located in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The "-eyer" suffix could potentially mean "from" or "of" in this context, so " Beckemeyer " could translate to "from Beckum".

Beddoes Welsh
“This name derives from Old Welsh name and patronymic surname “Morgetuid / Margetiud”, composed of two elements: “mere” (great, splendid) plus “iudd” (lord). As a personal name the origins are lost in the mists of time but it is certainly pre Roman, however the modern use of the name is commonly taken from Merdydd ap Bleddyn, prince of Powys who died in 1132... [more]

Beeden English (British)
Probably means "from Beeden", a village near Newbury in Berkshire. Ultimately coming from either Old English byden, meaning "shallow valley", or from the pre 7th century personal name Bucge with the suffix dun, meaning "hill of Bucge".

Bergling Swedish
Combination of Swedish berg "mountain" and the common surname suffix -ing "belonging to, coming from". It has also been found as a spelling variant of similarly spelled names, such as Berlin... [more]

Bourget French
Possibly meaning "from the city, town" or given to wealthy families, (from bourgeois)

Brinkley English
"From Brinca's Field" or "Field in the forest"

Byam English
Probably means "person from Bytham", Lincolnshire ("homestead in a valley bottom"). Glen Byam Shaw (1904-1986) was a British theatre director.

Cantellow English
Means "person from Canteleu, Canteloup, etc.", the name of various places in northern France ("song of the wolf").

Cassell English
Either (i) "person from Cassel", northern France, or "person from Kassel", Germany ("fort"); or (ii) a different form of Castle ("person who lives by or lives or works in a castle")... [more]

Cattley English
Means "person from Catley", Herefordshire and Lincolnshire ("glade frequented by cats"). It was borne by the British botanical patron William Cattley (1788-1835).

Cawthorne English
Means "person from Cawthorn or Cawthorne", both in Yorkshire ("cold thorn bush").

Chergui Arabic (Maghrebi)
From Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern, one from the east".

Chouraqui Judeo-Spanish
Means "the one who comes from the east" from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "eastern".

Cleverley English
Probably means "person from Cleveley", Lancashire ("woodland clearing by a cliff").

Coccimiglio Italian
From Sicilian cuccumeli, the name of several fruit-bearing deciduous trees or of the hackberry plant, itself borrowed from an Ancient Greek word; possibly κοκκύμηλον (kokkymelon) "plum", literally "cuckoo apple", or from κόκκος (kókkos) "grain, seed, kernel" and‎ μῆλον (mêlon) "apple, any fruit from a tree".

Coens Medieval German
Variation of Coen. A diminutive of Konrad/Conrad, an old German Emperor's name (compare its Dutch form 'Coenraad')... [more]

Conde Spanish
1 Spanish and Portuguese: “nickname from the title of rank conde ‘count’, a derivative of Latin comes, comitis ‘companion’.”... [more]

Corliss English
Derived from Old English carleas "free from anxiety; unconcerned", cognate to Old Norse kærulauss. This was a nickname given to a carefree person.

Croaker English
Meant "person from Crèvecoeur", the name of various places in northern France ("heartbreak", an allusion to the poverty of the local soil).

Croy Scottish
Means "person from Croy", the name of various places in Scotland.

Cunliffe English
Originally meant "person from Cunliffe", Lancashire ("slope with a crevice" (literally "cunt-cliff")).

Daintry English
Means "person from Daventry", Northamptonshire ("Dafa's tree"). The place-name is traditionally pronounced "daintry".

Dalgleish Scottish
Means "person from Dalgleish", near Selkirk ("green field").

Dalhousie Scottish
Meant "person from Dalhousie", near Edinburgh (perhaps "field of slander").

Dalloway English
Meant "person from Dallaway", West Midlands (perhaps from a Norman personal name, "person from (de) Alluyes", northern France). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mrs Dalloway, central figure of the eponymous novel (1925) by Virginia Woolf.

Dalusong Filipino, Tagalog, Pampangan
Means "to attack upon an enemy coming from a higher place" in Tagalog, also a Kapampangan variant of Dalusung.

Dalziel Scottish
Means "person from Dalyell", in the Clyde valley (probably "white field"). The name is standardly pronounced "dee-el". A fictional bearer is Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel, one half of the detective team of 'Dalziel and Pascoe' in the novels (1970-2009) of Reginald Hill.

Damaskinos Greek
Greek surname and first name that means “from Damascus”.

Da Ponte Italian, Portuguese, Galician
A topographic name, which means "from the bridge".

D'arcy English, French, Norman
Originally a Norman French surname, meaning "from Arcy"... [more]

Darley English
Means "person from Darley", Derbyshire ("glade frequented by deer").

D'aurevalle French (Archaic)
This medieval surname literally means "from Aurevalle". Aurevalle can refer to any of the three French communes that are nowadays known by the more modern spelling Orival. All of them ultimately derive their name from Latin aurea vallis meaning "golden vale" or "golden valley".

D'aureville French
This surname literally means "from Aureville". Aureville is a commune in southwestern France, which was established in late medieval times. It derives its name from Latin aurea villa or villa aurea which literally means "golden country-house, golden farm" but of course later came to mean "golden village".

Davaz Romansh
Derived from Romansh da "of; from" and Vaz.

Dawley English, French, Irish
"From the hedged glade" Originally, D'Awley (probably from D'Awleigh).... [more]

Dearden English
Meant "person from Dearden", Lancashire ("valley frequented by wild animals"). It was borne by British film director Basil Dearden (original name Basil Dear; 1911-1971).

De Bellis Italian (Rare)
De Bellis (De+Abl. Lat.)... [more]

Deblois French
French surname meaning "From Blois", a town in Mid-Western France. The origins of the surname started back in the 1600s when a man named Grégoire Guérard traveled to Flanders (Now Belgium) and immigrated to New France (Now Canada) in 1658... [more]

Defraia Italian
From an archaic Sardinian term, possibly meaning "factory", or from an alteration of frai "brother". Alternately, may mean "from Fraia", a settlement in Italy.

Defrain French
Variant of Frain combined with the French de "from".... [more]

Deiana Italian
From Sardinian de "of, from" and jana "fairy, spirit of the woods, sorceress" (from Latin Diana).

Deidda Sardinian
Sardinian cognate of Villani, from de "of, from" and bidda "town, hamlet".

Deiorio Italian
Italian surname meaning "Of Gold" or "From Gold"

Delahaye French, Walloon
Variant with fused preposition de "from" of Lahaye. This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium.

Delalande French
French surname, pronounced /dølalɑ̃də/, which means "from the moor", "from the heath". Famous bearer Michel-Richard Delalande (1657-1726), French baroque composer and organist nicknamed "the Latin Lully", changed its spelling in "de Lalande" in order to give it aristocratic looks.

De La Mora Spanish
"De la," in several Romance languages (including Spanish and Romanian), means "from." "Mora," in Spanish, translates to "mulberry."... [more]

Delannoy French, Flemish, Walloon
From the various locations in northern France and Belgium called Lannoy with the element de "from".

de la Pole Medieval English, Anglo-Norman, Cambro-Norman
Meaning "from the pool", from Norman de la Pole. This name was typically given to families who lived near lakes or similar bodies of water.... [more]

De Lara English
Means "from Lara", a Spanish and French habitational name.

De La Torre Spanish
Topographic name "from (de) the tower (la torre)", i.e. someone who lived by a watchtower, "from (de) the tower (la torre)".

Delisle English, French
Derived from De L'Isle meaning "of the Isle, from the Isle" in French.

Delogu Italian
Means "from/of the place", from Sardinian de "of, from" and logu "place".

De Lynden Obscure
Combination of the French word de, meaning "from" and the surname Lynden, denoting someone who lived near a linden valley.

Demar French, English
Combination of the French word de, meaning "from" and the Old French word maresc, meaning "marsh".

Demontigny French
habitational name with fused preposition de "from" for someone from any of several places in various parts of France named Montigny (see Montigny).

Demura Japanese
The Japanese surname "Demura" (出村) consists of two kanji characters: "出" meaning "to go out" or "to leave" and "村" meaning "village" or "town." So, "Demura" could be interpreted as "from the village" or "originating from the village." However, as with many Japanese surnames, there may be variations in meaning and interpretation depending on the family's history and region.

Denby English
Means "person from Denby", Derbyshire or Yorkshire ("farmstead of the Danes").

D'entrone Italian
Italian conjugation, meaning "from within".

Deplano Italian
From Latin de plano, "of the plain, from the flat land".

De Salvo Italian
Meaning of "De" is "From", or "Of", so probably "From Salvo".

Desanges French (Rare)
Means "from the angels", possibly connected to the French title of the Virgin Mary Notre Dame des Anges, meaning "Our Lady of the Angels". Bearers of this surname include Louis William Desanges (1822-1905), an English artist of French descent, and French historian Jehan Desanges (1929-).

Deschanel French
Derived from French eschamel meaning "stepladder" or des chanels meaning "from the channels, from the little jugs". An occupational nickname for a trader, it supposedly originated in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France... [more]

De Soye French
Meaning "From Soye" in French.

Des Roches French
Either a topographic name for someone living among rocks or a habitational name from any of several places named with this word, meaning "from the rocks" in French.

Desruisseaux French, French (Quebec)
Topographic name for someone who lived in an area characterized by streams, from the fused preposition and plural definite article des meaning "from the" and ruisseaux (plural of ruisseau) meaning "stream".

Devera English (British)
English elaboration of Norman surname De Vere, literally meaning "from Ver," a settlement near Bayeaux.

Dimaliwat Filipino, Tagalog
Means "firm, stubborn" from Tagalog di meaning "no, not" and liwat meaning "to transfer (liquid from one container to another)".

Dubec French
Geographical du bec "from the stream". Bec (from Germanic baki) is a regional term in Normandy for a stream.

Duchemin French
Either a topographic name with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" for someone who lived beside a path from chemin "path way" (from Late Latin caminus a word of Gaulish origin); or a habitational name for someone from Le Chemin the name of several places in various parts of France.

Duchêne French
Means "from the oak (tree)" in French, used to denote a person who lived near an oak tree or an oak forest.

Duclos French
du 'from the' from Old French clos 'enclosure' (see Clos ) or a habitational name for someone from Le Clos the name of several places in various parts of France so it means "from the enclosure"

Dujardin French
Means "from the garden" in French.

Dulin French
The surname Dulin is most common in France and is an occupational name meaning "from flax". Pronounced "du LIN" in English; however, in French it is pronounced "du LON". Anglicized in some cases as Duling, Dowling, or Dulong (a more common French surname brought to England, Ireland and Scotland from French Normans and later Huguenots).

Dumoulin French, Walloon
Variant with fused preposition and definite article du "from the" of Moulin meaning "from the mill" and This surname is also found in the Flemish part of Belgium and in the Netherlands.

Duplain French
topographic name from Old French plain an adjective meaning "flat" and a noun meaning "plain" with fused preposition and definite article du "from the".

Duvernay French
Means "from the alder grove," from Gaulish vern meaning "alder" combined with Latin -etum, whence Modern French -aie, forming names of orchards or places where trees/plants are grown)... [more]

Duvillard French
French surname, pronounced /dyvilaʁ/, whose bearers mainly live in Haute-Savoie. It means "from Le Villard", a village in the Rhône-Alpes region, whose name comes from the Latin 'villare' which means 'hamlet'... [more]

Earnshaw English
Means "person from Earnshaw", Lancashire ("Earn's nook of land" - Earn from an Old English personal name meaning literally "eagle"). In fiction this surname is borne by Catherine Earnshaw, her brother Hindley and her nephew Hareton, characters in Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights' (1847).

Eichacker German
Topographic name meaning "oak field. from Middle High German eiche "oak" and acker "field".

Elfving Swedish
Possibly a combination of an obsolete spelling of Swedish älv "river" and the suffix -ing (ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ingaz) meaning "coming from, belonging to, descending from"... [more]

Elsharkawy Arabic (Egyptian)
Means "the easterner, the one from the east" from Arabic شَرْقِيّ (šarqiyy) meaning "east, eastern".

Elwell English
Means "person from Elwell", Dorset (probably "spring from which omens can be read").

Ermatinger German (Swiss)
The surname Ermatinger derives from the village of Ermatingen on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance. It simply means "from Ermatingen".... [more]

Espaillat Catalan, Occitan
Occupational name from Catalan espallat, in an old spelling, or directly from Occitan espaiat, espalhat, past participle of espallar meaning "to winnow", "to separate the wheat from the chaff".

Fairey English
Either (i) meant "person from Fairy Farm or Fairyhall", both in Essex (Fairy perhaps "pigsty"); or (ii) from a medieval nickname meaning "beautiful eye". This was borne by Fairey Aviation, a British aircraft company, producer of the biplane fighter-bomber Fairey Swordfish... [more]

Fanshawe English
Meant "person from Featherstonehaugh", Northumberland (now known simply as "Featherstone") ("nook of land by the four-stones", four-stones referring to a prehistoric stone structure known technically as a "tetralith")... [more]

Fanthorpe English
Fan means "From France" and Thorpe is a Middle English word meaning "Small Village, Hamlet"

Farnworth English
Farnworth is a combination of two words: old-English fearn meaning "fern" and worth, making the full meaning of Farnworth "settlers from a place where ferns are abundant." The oldest known record of the surname was in Farnworth with Kearsley (modern-day Farnworth), Lancashire in 1185... [more]

Fazakerley English
Means "person from Fazakerley", Liverpool ("glade by the borderland").

Filkins English
Means either (i) "person from Filkins", Oxfordshire ("settlement of Filica's people"); or "son of Filkin", a medieval personal name meaning literally "little Phil", from Philip.

Fleetwood English
Means "From the town of Fleetwood, in Lancaster".

Fortune Scottish
Originally meant "person from Fortune", Lothian ("enclosure where pigs are kept").

Fraga Portuguese
Fraga, also derived from the Spanish variation of the word frescas meaning "strawberries", in the Portugal it translates to "from the cliffs or cliffside"

Frisby English
Means "person from Frisby", Leicestershire ("farmstead of the Frisians"). A frisbee is a plastic disc thrown from person to person as a game; the trademarked name, registered in 1959 by Fred Morrison, was inspired by the Frisbie bakery of Bridgeport, Connecticut, whose pie tins were the original models for the plastic discs.

Gaitanos Greek
Derived from the Ancient Greek Καίετανος (Kaietanos) meaning "who come from the cave/port" or "who come from Gaeta", an ancient Greek port that is located in the Italian modern province of Lazio.

Galijašević Bosnian
Means "galley worker" or "man from Gaul".... [more]

Galloni D'istria French, Italian
Meaning "Gallons from Istria" in French and Italian.

Garnica Spanish
The surname is of local origin, derived from the name of the place where a man once lived or held land. In this instance the surname, Garnica, is derived from the place-name Guernica. Thus, the name Garnica signifies "one who hails from Guernica".

Gaunt English
This name is believed to have derived "from the town of Gaunt, now Ghent, in Flanders."... [more]

Gavazansky Belarusian
Means "from the town of Gavezhno". Gavezhno is a town in Belarus.

Geipelhorst German
This rather rare surname is appears to be the combination of "Geipel", which is a variant of "Geibel" originating from a personal name or topographic name formed with Old High German gawi ‘fertile region’, ‘countryside’ (as opposed to a town), and "Horst" which came from of Old High German, meaning "man from the forest", "bosk" or "brushwood"... [more]

Gharbi Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "westerner, one from the west" from Arabic غرب (gharb) meaning "west, occident". In Tunisia it is typically used as a name for someone originally from Algeria or Morocco (being the two westernmost countries in North Africa).

Gilby English
Means either (i) "person from Gilby", Lincolnshire ("Gilli's farm"); or (ii) "little Gilbert".

Glendon Scottish, English
From the first name, which means "from the dark glen" in Scottish Gaelic.

Gorham English
A name originating from Kent, England believed to come from the elements gara and ham meaning "from a triangular shaped homestead." Compare Gore.

Grebenstein German
Means "stone from the cliff or ridge" from German greben, (cliff or ridge) and stein (stone).... [more]

Griego Spanish
Means "from Greece" in Spanish

Harrow English
Means "person from Harrow", the district of northwest Greater London, or various places of the same name in Scotland ("heathen shrine").

Harwood English, Scots
Habitation name found especially along the border areas of England and Scotland, from the Old English elements har meaning "gray" or hara referring to the animals called "hares" plus wudu for "wood"... [more]

Hassall English
Means "person from Hassall", Cheshire ("witch's corner of land").

Hayling English
Either (i) "person from Hayling", Hampshire ("settlement of Hægel's people"); or (ii) from the Old Welsh personal name Heilyn, literally "cup-bearer" (see also Palin).

Hazelden English
Means "person from Hazelden", the name of various places in England ("valley growing with hazel trees").

Hofstadter Jewish
Derived from the German towns of Hofstetten, Franconia and Hofstaedt, Pomerania. In German, the suffix -er means "from".... [more]

Horsley English
Old English hors ‘horse’ + lēah ‘woodland clearing’... [more]

Howarth English
"From a hedged estate", from Old English haga ("hedge, haw") and worð ("farm, estate"). Likely originating from the Yorkshire village of the same name. Common in Lancashire and recorded from at least 1518, as Howorthe, with an earlier version of Hauewrth in Gouerton dated 1317 recorded in the Neubotle charters.

Howley English, Irish
English habitational name from Howley in Warrington (Lancashire) or Howley in Morley (Yorkshire). The Lancashire name also appears as Hooley and Wholey while the Yorkshire placename comes from Old English hofe "ground ivy... [more]

Hrvatin Croatian, Slovene
From Croatian and Slovene Hrvat meaning "Croat, person from Croatia".

Huckaby English
Means "person from Huccaby", Devon (perhaps "crooked river-bend"), or "person from Uckerby", Yorkshire ("Úkyrri's or Útkári's farmstead").

Hurley English, Irish
Meaning is "from a corner clearing" in Old English. Also an anglicized form of an Irish name meaning "sea tide" or "sea valor".

Hutcherson Scottish
"Variant of Hutchison; patronymic from the medieval personal name Hutche, a variant of Hugh"

Inōe Japanese
猪上 comes from the kanji (猪 = boar) and (上 = above; up) and could be translated as "The boar from above"

Inverarity Scottish
Means "person from Inverarity", Angus ("mouth of the Arity", perhaps a Celtic river-name meaning literally "slow").

Jazlene Mexican
the name Jazlene is of Puerto Rican origin and means "gift from god".

Kastelic Slovene
Means "from a castle".

Kathriner German (Swiss, Rare)
From the given name Kathrin + er meaning "of, from."

Kenyon English, Welsh
Kenyon is a surname from Wales meaning "a person from Ennion's Mound"

Ketley English
Means "person from Ketley", Shropshire ("glade frequented by cats").

Kindy English
"From Kinder".

Knapp English
Topographic name for someone who lived by a hillock, Middle English "nappe, Old English cnæpp, or habitational name from any of the several minor places named with the word, in particular Knapp in Hampshire and Knepp in Sussex.

Kourlitis Greek (Modern)
Of unknown origin, bearing the locational suffix -tis, "of, from". Potentially related to κουρλί, "tendril of hair", kouros, "noble boy, youth", or a location such as Koursaroi.

Kuriakose Syrian, Aramaic
Kuriakose is a common male first name and surname among Saint Thomas Christians, mainly from central part of the state of Kerala in India and surrounding areas.... [more]

Lautzenheiser German
A German surname meaning "From Lautzenhausen, Germany"

Lear English
Means (i) "person from Leire", Leicestershire ("place on the river Leire", a river-name that may also be the ancestor of Leicestershire); or (ii) "person from Lear", any of several variously spelled places in northern France with a name based on Germanic lār "clearing"... [more]

Ledecký Czech
It means "coming from somewhere".

Lenkeit German (East Prussian)
East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) surname.... [more]

Lepsy Slavic (Rare), Turkish (Rare)
Possibly dating back to the Ottoman Empire's invasion of Europe, the original Turkic meaning is veiled in mystery, and possibly meant "one who comes from the edge of the lake." ... [more]

Leuenberger German (Swiss)
Means "one who came from Löwenberg" in German.

Lochner German
Means "a place where rivers meet with a partial obstruction from a wooden dam. "

Lorang French
Surname of uncertain origin. Might be derived from:... [more]

Lundy English
Either (i) "person from Lundie", the name of various places in Scotland (meaning "place by a marsh"); or (ii) a different form of Mcalinden.

Madrigal Spanish
"Madrigal" comes from from the Venetian madregal "simple, ingenuous," from Late Latin matricalis "invented, original," literally "of or from the womb," from matrix (gen. matricis) "womb."

Magadia Filipino, Tagalog
From Tagalog mag-adya meaning "protect, help, deliver from danger".

Mahlangu Southern African, Ndebele, Zulu
Derived from Ndebele hlangula meaning "assist, help, remove (from danger)" or Zulu isihlangu meaning "shield".

Marvel English
Either (i) from a medieval nickname (often ironic) for someone regarded as a prodigy; or (ii) "person from Merville", the name of two places in northern France ("smaller settlement" and "settlement belonging to a man with a Germanic name beginning with Meri-, literally 'famous'")... [more]

Maudling English
From the medieval female personal name Maudeleyn, the English form of Greek Magdalene, the sobriquet in the New Testament of the woman Mary who was cured of evil spirits by Jesus... [more]

Mazari Balochi
Means “From Mazar”.

Meloni Italian
From Italian mela ("apple", from Latin malum) or melone ("melon", from Latin melopepo), both ultimately from Ancient Greek μῆλον (mêlon), meaning "apple", "fruit from a tree"... [more]

Michalsky Polish
A variant of Michalski. "Polish and Jewish (from Poland): habitational name for someone from a place called Michale in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship or Michały in Masovian Voivodeship both named with the personal name Michał (see Michal ). Jewish (from Poland): patronymic from the personal name Michal." ... [more]

Mirajkar Marathi
Means "one from Miraj" in Marathi. Miraj is a city located in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Mitten English
English surname, meaning "from Mitten" various towns with the name or similar spelling. The towns were presumably named after the glove.

Moffatt Scottish
Means "person from Moffatt", Dumfries and Galloway ("long plain").

Montford English
As a Shropshire name believed to mean "from a communal ford or water crossing" while the Norfolk origin is "from Munda's ford," Munda being an old English personal name meaning "protector, guardian," as seen in names such as Edmund.

Motherwell Scottish
Means "person from Motherwell", North Lanarkshire ("Our Lady's well"). American artist Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) was a known bearer.

Mukushina Japanese (Rare)
From Japanese 無垢 (muku) meaning "spiritual purity; freedom from desire or aversion" and 品 (shina), a clipping of 九品 (kokonoshina) meaning "the 9 Stages in Life (in Buddhism)".

Nairn Scottish
Means "person from Nairn", Highland region ("(place at the mouth of the river) Nairn", a Celtic river-name perhaps meaning "penetrating one").

Nancarrow Cornish
Means "person from Nancarrow", Cornwall (either "valley frequented by deer" or "rough valley"). It was borne by US composer Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997).

Nandedkar Marathi
Means "one from Nanded" in Marathi. Nanded is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Newby English
Means "person from Newby", Newby being a combination of the Middle English elements newe "new" and by "farm, settlement" (ultimately from Old Norse býr "farm"). British travel writer Eric Newby (1919-2006) bore this surname.

Niz Spanish (Latin American, Hispanicized, Modern)
Derived from the city of Nice in France, usually a surname given to someone without paternal recognition in that city.... [more]

Norrell English, German (?)
A locational surname from the Germanic (Old English/Old Norse) term for the north. It either refers to someone who lived in a location called Northwell, lived north of a well, spring or stream (Old English weall)... [more]

Norrman Swedish
Either a variant of Norman or taken directly from Swedish norrman "Norwegian, person from Norway".

Norwel English
English surname meaning "From the North Spring"

Norwell English
Means, "from the North Spring"

Olevian German (Latinized)
Olevian is a latinised word meaning "from Olewig" (a town today incorporated into Trier, Germany). ... [more]

Olin English, Dutch
English or Dutch name meaning either "from a low lying area" or from the word Hollander meaning "one from the Netherlands" a country well known for a low lying landscape.

Österreicher German, German (Austrian)
Means "One from Austria", "the Austrian".

Ostrander Dutch
Translated as "from the east border." The name may have been originally borne by one who lived near the eastern border of a town, province, or country.

Özden Turkish
Means "from self, from essence" in Turkish.

Pacey English
"Habitation name from Pacy-sur-Eure" which took its name from the Gallo-Roman personal name Paccius and the local suffix -acum.

Palin English
(i) "person from Palling", Norfolk ("settlement of Pælli's people") or "person from Poling", Sussex ("settlement of Pāl's people"); (ii) from the Welsh name ap Heilyn "son of Heilyn", a personal name perhaps meaning "one who serves at table"

Pavese Italian
Means "one from Pavia". Pavia is an Italian town located in Lombardy, northern Italy. It can also derive from pavese, a kind of big, Medieval shield.... [more]

Pavey English
Either (i) from the medieval female personal name Pavia, perhaps from Old French pavie "peach"; or (ii) "person from Pavia", Italy.

Pelekanos Greek
Means woodpecker" from Greek pelekanos "green woodpecker" (cognate with pelekan "pelican"; both come from pelekys "axe" the pelican because its beak is shaped like an axe the woodpecker because it uses its beak like an axe).

Penhaligon Cornish
Originally meant "person from Penhaligon", Cornwall ("willow-tree hill"). It is borne by Susan Penhaligon (1950-), a British actress.

Pennycuik Scottish
Originally meant "person from Penycuik", near Edinburgh (probably "hill frequented by cuckoos").

Penrose Cornish, Welsh
Originally meant "person from Penrose", Cornwall, Herefordshire and Wales ("highest part of the heath or moorland"). It is borne by the British mathematician Sir Roger Penrose (1931-).... [more]

Pino Spanish, Galician, Italian
Spanish and Galician habitational name from any of the places in Galicia (Spain) named Pino from pino "pine" or a topographic name for someone who lived by a remarkable pine tree. Italian habitational name from Pino d'Asti in Asti province Pino Torinese in Torino or Pino Solitario in Taranto all named with pino "pine’... [more]

Pisoni Italian
patronymic "from Pisone", from a derivative of Piso, from Latin pisum "pea"

Pleasance English
Either (i) from the medieval female personal name Plaisance, literally "pleasantness"; or (ii) "person from Piacenza", Italy (from Latin Placentia, literally "pleasing things").

Polyanski Russian
Meaning "From Fields".

Prideaux Cornish
Means "person from Prideaux, earlier Pridias", Cornwall (perhaps based on Cornish prȳ "clay"). The modern Frenchified spelling is based on the idea that the name comes from French près d'eaux "near waters" or pré d'eaux "meadow of waters".

Quichocho Chamorro
Chamorro for "to take out from hiding"

Quisling Norwegian
A treacherous person who sides with opposing forces, this meaning comes from Vidkun Quisling of Norway. He helped the Germans during the German rule of Norway in the 1940's. Original meaning "One from" (-ling) "Quislemark", (quis) A romanization of the place name of Kvislemark.

Rackham English
Means "person from Rackham", Sussex ("homestead or enclosure with ricks"). This surname was borne by British watercolourist and book illustrator Arthur Rackham (1867-1939).

Ratzinger German
Ratzinger means that someone has origins in the town of Ratzing. There are several German towns with this name. RATZ means ‘Serb’. Serbs were indigenous people in Germany, and many German cities originally had Serbian names (Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Brandenburg)... [more]

Rausing Swedish (Rare)
Combination of Raus, the name of a parish in southern Sweden, and the common surname suffix -ing "belonging to, coming from".

Reekie Scottish
Perhaps "person from Reikie", Aberdeenshire, or from a different form of the Scottish male personal name Rikie, literally "little Richard".

Restorick Cornish
Means "person from Restowrack", farm in Cornwall ("watery hill-spur").

Riddick Scottish
A different form of Reddick ("person from Rerwick or Rerrick", Dumfries and Galloway (perhaps "robbers' outlying settlement")). A fictional bearer of the surname is Richard B. Riddick, (anti)hero of the 'Chronicles of Riddick' movies.

Rochester English
Means "person from Rochester", Kent (probably "Roman town or fort called Rovi"). A fictional bearer of the surname is Mr Rochester, the Byronic hero of Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' (1847).

Rockefeller German
Means "from Rockenfeld." Some famous bearers include founder of the Standard Oil Company and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller (1839-1937), and 41st Vice President of the U.S.A. Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (1908-1979).

Rockwell English
Means "person from Rockwell", Buckinghamshire and Somerset (respectively "wood frequented by rooks" and "well frequented by rooks"). Famous bearers include American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) and Utah pioneer Porter Rockwell (1813-1878).

Rumbelow English
Means "person from Rumbelow", the name of various locations in England ("three mounds").

Rydinger Swedish (Rare)
Either a combination of Swedish ryd "woodland clearing" and the common surname suffix -ing "belonging to, coming from" (compare Norling), a variant of Ryding, or a Swedish form of German Rüdinger.

Saavedra Spanish
Derived from the place-name Saavedra and therefore signifies "descendant or son of one from Saavedra". The place-name Saavedra is located in the north western province of Lugo in Galicia, Spain and is believed to be derived from the elements "Saa" meaning "Hall" and "Vedra" (feminine) meaning "Old".

Savolainen Finnish
Means "Savonian, person from Savonia". Savonia is a historical province in eastern Finland.

Scobie Scottish
Means "person from Scobie", an unidentified place in Perth and Kinross ("thorny place"). A fictional bearer is Henry Scobie, the conscience-wracked and ultimately suicidal deputy commissioner of police in Graham Greene's West Africa-set novel 'The Heart of the Matter' (1948).

Scotland English
(i) "person from Scotland"; (ii) "person from Scotland or Scotlandwell", Perth and Kinross; (iii) from the Norman personal name Escotland, literally "territory of the Scots"

Shallcross English
Means "person from Shallcross", Derbyshire ("place by the Shacklecross", an ancient stone cross in the High Peak, its name perhaps denoting a cross to which people could be shackled as a penance).

Sharqawi Arabic (Egyptian)
Means "easterner, one from the east", derived from Arabic شرق (sharq) meaning "east, Orient".

Shockley English
(i) perhaps "person from Shocklach", Cheshire ("boggy stream infested with evil spirits"); (ii) perhaps an anglicization of Swiss German Schoechli, literally "person who lives by the little barn"

Shufflebottom English
Meaning: "From a sheep valley"

Skutnik Romanian
Derived from the historical term scutnic.... [more]

Soudani Arabic (Maghrebi)
Means "Sudanese (referring to a person from Sudan)", derived from Arabic سُودَانِيّ (sūdāniyy).

Southwell English
English surname meaning "From the south well"

Soydan Turkish (Modern)
Soy, "lineage, ancestry" and dan "from"; One who has come down from good ancestry (a good family)

Stockwell English
An English boy's name meaning "From the tree stump spring"

Strangeways English
Means "person from Strangeways", Greater Manchester ("strong current").

Suazo Spanish, Spanish (Latin American), Basque
"Castilianized form of Basque Zuhatzu, habitational name from places in Araba and Navarre named Zuhatzu, from Basquezu(h)aitz‘tree’ + the collective suffix -zu, tsu."... [more]

Suomalainen Finnish
Means "Finn, person from Finland" in Finnish. A combination of Suomi "Finland" and the suffix -lainen that combined with a place name, forms the noun for the inhabitant of a place.

Surridge English
Originally meant "person from Surridge", Devon ("south ridge").

Surridge English
Meant "person from the south" (from Old French surreis "southerner").

Sussex English
Derived from an English county name meaning "region of the Saxons from the south" in Old English.

Tangerine English
Possibly means "from Tangier".

Tecuceanu Romanian
A topographical Romanian surname meaning "from Tecuci". Tecuci is a city in the Galaţi county of Romania.

Tellechea Basque
Latinized spelling of "Telletxea" meaning in Basque "(from) the house with tiles"

Terrace Scottish
Possibly means "from Tarras", a place in Morayshire, Scotland.

Tootmorsel Popular Culture
The surname used by the character Harry "Ocho" Tootmorsel in the animated series "The Amazing World of Gumball".... [more]

Trapanese Italian
Habitational name meaning "Trapanese", "from the city of Trapani or "from the province of Trapani". Variant of Trapani.

Trebilcock Cornish
Means "person from Trebilcock", Cornwall (apparently "dear one's farmstead"). The final -ck is standardly silent.

Trevithick Cornish
Means "person from Trevithick", the name of various places in Cornwall ("farmstead" with a range of personal names). It was borne by British engineer Richard Trevithick (1771-1833), developer of the steam engine.

Trezise Cornish
Means "person from Trezise or Tresayes", Cornwall ("Englishman's farmstead").

Ulema Estonian
Ulema is an Estonian surname; possibly a corruption of "tulema" meaning "come" and "to come/hail from".

Ullmann German
Variant spelling of Uhlmann, associated with Jewish Europeans, meaning "man from Ulm". It is derived from the name of the city of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Ulmer German
German surname meaning "from the city of Ulm".

Uppadathil Malayalam
From Old Malayalam uppadam (sea), lit. "from over the Arabian sea," referring to the descendants of a group of Arab traders who settled in Kerala. Predominantly Muslim, although sizeable sections have branched away and practice Hinduism... [more]

Uytdehaage Dutch
Means "from The Hague", a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It could also mean "from the hedge". Both etymologies are derived from Dutch uit meaning "out, of, from" and Middle Dutch hage meaning "hedge, bush"... [more]

Vallance English
Means "person from Valence", southeastern France (probably "place of the brave").

Van Agt Dutch
Means "from Acht", a small village within the city of Eindhoven in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch acht, achte meaning either "eight" or "preserve, lordly possession, legal district"... [more]

Van Amerongen Dutch
Means "from Amerongen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands.

Van Beethoven Flemish
Means "from the beet fields". A famous bearer of this name was German Clasical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827).

Van Breukelen Dutch
Means "from Breukelen", a town in the province of Utrecht in the Netherlands, itself derived from Old Dutch bruoc meaning "marsh, marshland, wetland" and lētha meaning "excavated, canalised watercourse"... [more]

Van Bronckhorst Dutch
Means "from Bronckhorst", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, itself derived from Dutch brink meaning "edge, slope, village green" and horst meaning "overgrown hillock" or "higher located brushwood"... [more]

Van Burgen Dutch
Comes from the Middle Dutch word "burch," or "burg," meaning a fortified town. The prefixes "Van" and "den" mean "from" and "the" respectively. Thus this surname means "from the hill". As such, it may have been topographic name for someone who lived by a citadel or walled city; or, it may have been a habitational name

Van Buskirk Dutch
The name is made up of two Dutch words: "bos," meaning "woods," and "kerk," meaning "church." The characteristic Dutch prefix "van" literally means "from," and thus the surname indicates "one from the church in the woods."

Vancouver Dutch
Dutch name meaning "someone from Coevorden", a city in the Netherlands.

Van Dam Dutch
Van - meaning "from the" or "of the"... [more]

Van De Kerkhof Dutch
Means "from the churchyard", derived from Middle Dutch kerke meaning "church" and hof meaning "court, garden, yard". Famous bearers of this surname include twin brothers René and Willy Van De Kerkhof (1951-), both retired Dutch soccer players.

Van den Bogaard Dutch
Means "from the orchard", derived from Dutch boomgaard literally meaning "orchard".

Van Der Dutch
van "from"... [more]

Van Der Klok Dutch
Toponymic surname, meaning "from/of the kolk".

Van Der Leij Dutch
Derived from Dutch lei meaning "slate" (effectively meaning "from the slate"), indicating that the original bearer of this name may have come from a place where slate was produced.

Van Der Merwe Dutch, South African
While the name is currently very common in South Africa, it originates in Holland, literally meaning "From the Merwe". The first van der Merwes hail from the Merwede river. The name went to South Africa with the Dutch settlers in 1652.

Van Der Walle Dutch, Flemish
Means "from the rampart" or "from the defensive wall" in Dutch.

Van de Velde Dutch
A toponymic name meaning "from the field" in Dutch.

Van Deventer Dutch
Van Devender Van Deventer is a surname that translates to "From Devender"

Van Eck Dutch
Means "from Eck", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

van Essen Dutch
Means "from Essen".

Van Gameren Dutch
Meaning "from Gameren".

Van Gelder Dutch
Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Guelders", a county and later duchy in the Low Countries.

Van Hertrooij Dutch
Means "from Hertrooij", most likely a place name in the Netherlands. It could possibly derive from Middle Dutch hert meaning "deer" and rood meaning "red".

Van Honsté Flemish
Meaning "From Honsté". "Honsté", possibly a Village in Belgium.

Van Maurik Dutch
Means "from Maurik" in Dutch, which is a town in the east of the Netherlands.

Van Nistelrooij Dutch
Means "from Nistelrode", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch nest meaning "nest, burrow, resting place" and lo meaning "light forest", combined with rode meaning "land cleared of trees"... [more]

Van Ommeren Dutch
Means "from Ommeren", a small village in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Van Oss Dutch
Van Oss is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from Oss", a town in North Brabant. Variant spellings are Van Osch and Van Os.

Van Praag Dutch
Means "from Prague" name given to someone from Prague.

Van Reenan Dutch
Toponymic surname meaning "from/of Rhenen", a city in the province of Utrecht.

Van Rijn Dutch
Means "from the Rhine", the second-longest river in central and western Europe (after the Danube). This was the surname of the Dutch Baroque painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), usually known simply as Rembrandt.

Van Rooyen Afrikaans
van Rooyen related to van Rooijen, is an Afrikaans and Dutch toponymic surname. May be rooted from the Rhine area of the Netherlands, possibly having meant "from Rhine" originally... [more]

Van Steen Flemish (Dutchified, Modern)
Van Steen is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from the stone".

Van 't Boveneind Dutch
Means "from Boveneind", the name of various places in the Netherlands, itself meaning "from the top end" in Dutch. It is derived from boven meaning "upper, upstream" and eind meaning "edge, end".

Van Tienhoven Dutch
Means "from Tienhoven", the name of several villages in the Netherlands. Their names are derived from Middle Dutch tien meaning "ten" and a plural form of huue meaning "piece of land of a certain size"... [more]

Van 't Schip Dutch
Means "from the ship", derived from Middle Dutch schip literally meaning "ship". It is borne by the Dutch-Canadian former soccer player John van 't Schip (1963-).

Vasilov Bulgarian, Russian
Meaning "son of Vasil" in Russian and "from Bulgaria" in Bulgarian.

Verbruggen Dutch
Verbruggen... [more]

Verran Cornish
Perhaps means "person from Treverran", Cornwall (from Cornish tre "farmstead" with an unknown second element), or "person from Veryan", Cornwall ("church of St Symphorian").

Verwey Dutch, Afrikaans, South African
Contracted form of van der Weij meaning "from the meadow".